Wasatch Search and Rescue will get a mobile command center and drone operations hub after the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation awarded the team $119,000 in its latest grant cycle.
The grant, one of 24 projects funded through the state's Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation (OHVR) program, will help pay for a vehicle built on a sprinter van chassis, according to the division's grant recommendations. The full project carries a $219,000 price tag, with the state covering just over half.
Once on the road, the van will serve as a command post on backcountry rescue calls and double as a base for drone operations during search and rescue missions, the division said.
Wasatch Search and Rescue is no stranger to the OHVR grant program. The team has previously received state funding for a drone program, emergency response side-by-side vehicles and a parking structure to shelter those vehicles, according to the division's past projects page.
The $119,000 award was part of a broader $2.14 million grant cycle announced Oct. 22. The OHV Advisory Council recommended all 24 projects after reviewing 30 applications. The funded projects carry a combined value of more than $3.5 million.
Rachel Toker, OHV grant analyst for the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, said the grants help fill gaps that organizations could not cover alone. "The grants help communities and organizations take on important projects that might otherwise be out of reach," Toker said, as first reported by Gephardt Daily.
Three other search and rescue teams also received funding. Tooele County Search and Rescue was awarded about $18,100 for two new ATVs. Juab County's sheriff's office rescue team received roughly $36,700 for an enclosed UTV and trailer. Iron County Sheriff Search and Rescue got $27,000 for a new side-by-side ATV.
Combined with a spring cycle, the division has awarded $4.5 million to 59 OHV recreation projects statewide in 2026. The OHVR program launched in 2020 and is funded by OHV registration revenues.
